Jakartans' dreams of accessible public parks remain unfulfilled
Jakartans' dreams of accessible public parks remain unfulfilled
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak
and Evi Mariani
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Living in the concrete jungle that is Jakarta, a visit to
public parks can be relaxing. But fewer and fewer people go
there. Jakartans prefer to take their families at the weekend to
shopping malls for recreation.
A family chatting over lunch at a food court, strolling
through a fully air-conditioned mall while window-shopping, with
the children playing at an indoor playground, consider all that
more fun today than dealing with bugs and the burning sun
outdoors at a park.
Fewer people even care whether the parks still exist.
Ordinary people know that public parks are an important
element in city planning. Public parks are essential as they are
multifunctional, not only as playgrounds and sport fields where
people can breathe fresh air. As green areas, they are of
paramount importance as part of the ecosystem and function as
water catchments. Besides, they can also beautify the city.
As for the community in general, public parks can help to
nurture an emotional proximity with the environment and create a
milieu in which to socialize with others in harmony.
A public park is not a gift from the government; it is the
right of the community.
Gubernatorial Decree no. 10/1999 stipulates that public parks
are part of the city's bank of green space within particular
boundaries, man-made designs that combine with natural elements
and serve the function of water catchments.
Moreover, Bylaw no. 7/1997 on the organization and job
description of the city's park agency highlights the social
function of public parks. As publicly owned entities, no charge
should be imposed on park visitors.
In the 1985 to 2005 city master plan, the Jakarta
administration specified around 105.9 hectares (ha) of land for
302 public parks. But the revised, 1995 to 2010 Jakarta Master
Plan allowed dramatic changes to the park setup.
According to the city park agency's latest data, at least 250
public parks have been lost to business uses. Forty-two of those
were located in Central Jakarta, 27 North Jakarta, 48 West
Jakarta, 56 East Jakarta and 77 in South Jakarta.
From the number of lost public parks, 34 became gas stations,
having a total area of 53,700 square meters.
Many landscaping experts and city activists believe that this
occurred because the public was not involved in park management
and park-related policy making. All decisions are in the hands of
seemingly corrupt officials. Or insensitive ones.
The prestigious and historical National Monument (Monas) park
in Central Jakarta is a blatant example.
Still fresh in the memory are public protests in May against
the plan of the Sutiyoso administration to build a three-meter-
high fence to ring the 108-ha park, which at that time was
estimated to cost Rp 9 billion (about US$1 million).
Critics say the fence has destroyed views and also made the
park less accessible to the public.
But the administration continued with its plan and recently
completed the project, said to be aimed at keeping vendors and
the protesting public outside the park, located close to the
presidential palace, government offices and the gubernatorial
office.
The surprises don't stop there. Sutiyoso plans to release deer
from Bogor Palace and lay out three small soccer fields and a
jogging track in the park. But careful consideration should be
made before the plan is put into action, especially as deer are
sensitive animals that can easily be stressed.
In fact, the park is now in a pathetic state. A large part of
it is now covered with bricks, while trees have grown only to
distinguish each section in the park, with no large and shady
specimens to cool the city.
Even though many prefer nowadays to go to shopping malls
instead of public parks, there are still some, especially those
from the low-income bracket, who frequently visit parks.
"I come here to hang out with my friends," said Ardiansyah,
26, a regular visitor to Lembang park in the upmarket residential
area of Menteng, Central Jakarta.
"We come here because there is no such park near our
neighborhood in Kramat ... We love to come here because we're
looking for tranquility. Here, we're far from traffic and there
is a hint of the village environment," he said.
Unfortunately, the noise, especially at night, annoys
residents. It is no secret that many people go to the park for
dating.
Tri Santoso, one of Lembang park's attendants, said that the
park was closed every night from 10 p.m. until the following
morning since Aug. 1 this year after residents complained.
However, nearby Suropati park, adjacent to Jl. Diponegoro, is
quiet most of the time, even though it is quite pleasant. The
park is surrounded by the well-known residences of the vice
president and the U.S. ambassador, and is near to the governor's
official residence. A police station also stands on one of the
corners.
Asnawi and Yati, street sweepers who usually take a rest in
the park, said that the police prohibited the general public from
accessing the park. Food vendors are not allowed to operate in
its vicinity, either.